Menchaca Rumored To Challenge Ortiz For District Leader Seat
Call it payback, political ambition or just the nature of politics, but sources say that City Council Member Carlos Menchaca (D-Sunset Park, Red Hook) is looking to run or find somebody to run against Assemblymember Felix Ortiz (D-Sunset Park, Red Hook) for his district leader seat.
Ortiz, the assistant speaker of the assembly, who unsuccessfully challenged Menchaca for his city council seat last year, is also the longtime Democratic district leader. Rumor has it that Menchaca is also looking to run somebody against the female district leader Arelis Martinez as well, as she is aligned with Ortiz.
Menchaca is a crafty and ambitious term-limited city council member and is assuredly looking for a place to land come 2021. Ortiz is a veteran state lawmaker with a number of interesting legislative wins in his tenure, including being among the first legislators in the country to introduce a text ban while driving bill.
Early Borough President Rumblings
With term-limited Brough President Eric Adams running for mayor in 2021, the Brooklyn Borough President’s race should be one for the ages., and there are a number of possible contenders.
Among the first tier rumored to be looking at the seat are City Council Members Rafael Espinal Jr., Mark Treyger and Laurie Cumbo.
Others that might be considering the seat are State Senators Jesse Hamilton and Kevin Parker, and City Councilmembers Robert Cornegy Jr., Carlos Menchaca and Antonio Reynoso.
KCP currently puts frontrunner status on Cumbo (if she decides to run) and especially if she takes someone like City Council Member Chaim Deutsch as a deputy borough president running mate. That would help cement the black, women and Jewish vote.
Gold Gets District Leader Challenge
Veteran Democratic District Leader Jacob Gold is getting a challenge from progressive upstart attorney Doug Schneider in the 44th Assembly district covering Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Kensington and Ditmas Park.
The position of district leader, also known as state committee person, is an unpaid, volunteer, elected official who serves on the executive committee of a county political party for a two-year term. In Kings County registered Democrats are responsible for electing two Democratic State Committee persons, one male and one female, in each New York State Assembly District. There are 21 Assembly Districts in Brooklyn and thus there are 42 Democratic State Committee people.
“I am running for Democratic District Leader for the 44th Assembly District to empower grassroots Democrats whose voices have been ignored for too long. I am running for Democratic District Leader for the 44th Assembly District to fight for a Democratic Party with a progressive agenda centered on economic justice, criminal justice reform and support for women, the LGBTQ community, immigrants and religious and racial minorities,” wrote Schneider on his campaign website.
Schneider comes squarely out of the Park Slope end of the district where City Council Member Brad Lander (D-Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Kensington) holds court and has been the driving force behind the #GetorganizedBK movement, which is arguably the most progressive wing of the Democratic Party in Brooklyn.
Schneider, according to his campaign website also professes to being a reformer in regards to pushing back against the Kings County Democratic Party and its’ chair Frank Seddio.
But several political sources in the district note there is a major difference between being a progressive and being a reformer – and the two don’t always line up. And they say Schneider is hardly either, and has made some serious enemies..
Another political source said it is scary that Schneider can win, and noted that like de Blasio, who barely escaped corruption charges, Schneider could hardly be considered a reformer.
Gold, on the other hand, is the dean of Democratic district leaders in Brooklyn, and while maintaining close ties with Seddio and the county party structure, is also solidly progressive in regards to such core issues as LBGT and immigration rights, and being pro-union.
A key to this race might just be who 44th District Assemblymember Robert “Bobby” Carroll supports. While Carroll could not be reached for comment, he has shown in his freshman term of office an ability at being both a practical progressive and genuinely interested in reforming party politics.
It will be interesting to see, who Carroll supports in this race, or perhaps if he will run himself or find a third person to run.
A previous version of this story stated that Schneider was a Republican in college. This was not accurate and KCP regrets the error.
Cunningham Not Interested In District Leader Seat
KCP received a call from former City Council Candidate Brian Cunningham this week to unequivocably state he is not interested or never was interested in challenging Democratic District Leader Geoffrey Davis in the 43rd Assembly district covering Crown Heights, Prospect Lefferts Gardens and Northern Flatbush.
Cunningham’s call came after KCP posted a story stating that rumors had it he was interested in challenging Davis.
Cunningham said he remains interested in working in the community and being a strong husband and father. He also remains very interested in running again for term-limited City Councilman Mathieu Eugene‘s (D-Prospect Lefferst Gardens, Flatbush, East Flatbush Ditmas Park) seat in 2021.
Cunningham ran a spirited and heated battle to oust Eugene last year.
